ACA Road to Repeal: Graham-Cassidy Did Not Fit the Bill

The latest Senate legislation to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA), known as Graham-Cassidy, will not be put to a vote before the Sept. 30 budget reconciliation deadline. While Republican leaders have signaled that they are not giving up on ACA repeal/replacement efforts, it is unlikely that the Graham-Cassidy bill will be the legislative vehicle — since 51 senators, including all 48 Democrats and 3 Republicans, are publicly on record as opposing the revised version of the bill.

The Senate was on a tight time frame to pass the Graham-Cassidy Health Care Reform legislation (H.R. 1628), proposed by Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC), with a simple majority before the clock runs out on 2017 budget reconciliation. With Graham-Cassidy off the table for now and Congressional attention redirected to tax reform, the ACA and all its employer obligations remain in place. Employers need to continue making sure their health plans follow ACA requirements.

While the Administration and Congress will be turning their primary focus to tax reform in the coming months, there is likely to be both behind the scenes and out front actions affecting the ACA. ADP will, as always, continue to closely monitor key activities in Washington, D.C. and any state-related Health Care Reform efforts affecting employers to keep you apprised of changes. We will post future blogs as significant developments arise and you may also receive Eye on Washington email updates by subscribing here.